Yet Lighter
by Scriptor Bellum
Summary: It starts with a mysterious grey door. It ends with uncertain hope. Somewhere in between, there is a reunion. Somewhere in between, the dark becomes the light. implied Gaster/OC, but in the past. skele-family plot and friendship stuff! post True Pacifist. sort-of-selectively mute, nonbinary Frisk who speaks mainly in ASL. Enjoy!
1. Tenebrous

A/N: This is something I wanted to start on a whim because I thought the idea would be cool. And. AND... I'm a sucker for both fluff and angst. This is probably gonna have both, as well as hopefully generous hurt/comfort. But we'll see how things progress! XD

This is based off a post I saw on Tumblr, involving Frisk truly meeting Gaster, discovering that he's Sans and Pap's father, and trying to get Gaster out of the void. I dunno if any of my theories or stuff for getting him out will make isense,/i but hey, this is my story and I'm stickin' to it. ;D

"blah dialogue blah" = speech  
 _blah thoughts blah_ = thinking  
'blah dialogue blah' = sign language  
'blah dialogue blah' = sign language combined with Gaster speaking in Wingdings

This will be cross-posted between here and AO3, where my username is also Scriptor Bellum!

* * *

Surely none of the others would have let the child go back without wanting to accompany them.

Sans and Papyrus would tag along, one laughing at his own terrible jokes, the other talking about puzzles to drown out his brother. Undyne would carry the child through the ruins the entire time, refusing to put them down, summoning her spear at any sign of a threat. Alphys would trail along behind them anxiously, texting them every two steps, making almost constant suggestions to head home. Mettaton wouldn't even let them get that far, instead pulling them to be a guest on whatever show he was doing, ensuring that they couldn't go down there. (Napstablook would undoubtedly be in on that plan, to boot, making escape completely impossible.) Asgore would hold their hand the entire time, never going anywhere that seemed uncomfortable, insisting they turn back before they reached Hotland.

And Toriel? Oh, forget about _that._ Toriel would absolutely forbid them from going back into the Underground, and for good reason.

It was all empty now, without any monsters to be seen… well, aside from Asriel. But he was probably trying to stay out of sight, anyway, so it would be like there was nobody there.

There was something Frisk had seen down there, though – something that never really got resolved. Nobody ever talked about it, and yet, Frisk had seen it with their own two eyes! Why didn't anyone talk about it? Why didn't anyone talk about what was inside? … About _who_ was inside?

It was a door that had shown up in Waterfall, almost out of nowhere. Frisk's curious nature got the better of them. When they went inside, the room was empty except for one thing, a person. Frisk wasn't sure who he was… or even what kind of monster he was. Or even if he was a monster! There were cracks in his face, and his features would have looked frozen if not for one thing. When Frisk had approached him, the monster's eyes widened, mouth going agape, before he just vanished into thin air.

Who was he? What was he doing in there? Why didn't anybody else talk about him? Did anyone know he was in there? For that matter… well… did anybody else even know about that door?

Frisk had never really gotten an answer to any of that.

Today, though, everyone else was busy. Today was their chance to sneak off to the Underground, go into that door again, and try to talk to that man again.

Everyone trusted Frisk to be careful by themselves, to make good choices, to do the right thing. And they were doing that, in a way. Weren't they? It wasn't like they could just leave that man behind if he needed help. Nobody else seemed to know he was there.

The thought of finally finding out the secrets regarding that door and that man filled Frisk with _determination._

They were going to get to the bottom of this mystery one way or another.

As it turned out, finding the grey door again proved to be a little more difficult than Frisk had intended.

A flashlight, their cell phone, and a backpack filled with snacks had gotten them as far as the entrance between Snowdin and Waterfall. This was where they remembered seeing the door, but when they stepped forward into the other area, it wasn't there. Of course, that wasn't really a big surprise. They'd only seen the door once. After that, it seemed to have disappeared no matter how much they looked for it. Look they did, too… back then, and right now. There weren't any secret buttons or hidden levers.

Pretty soon, the child resorted to closing their eyes and spinning in circles. Maybe if they got dizzy enough, they'd wander around and find the door? It was kind of a long shot, and not a very bright plan. But it was all they had; beggars couldn't be choosers.

Dizziness kicked in soon enough, leading Frisk to stumble and collapse on the ground. "Mm… ousshhhh," they mumbled, shaking their head. Any words they spoke came out fairly garbled due to the fact that they rarely talked. It wasn't so much lack of being able to hear themselves talk as it was they just weren't used to speaking. While they could hear just fine, their voice didn't always cooperate. Rather than risk their voice messing up at random whenever they spoke, most of the time they'd just rather rely on sign language. Right now they had no one to sign to, and therefore no one would be around if their voice decided not to work.

They blinked a few times before glancing behind them, and their eyes widened in triumph. _The door!_ There it was! It hadn't been there a moment ago… did this thing just show up whenever it wanted to? Hmph. Well, that was the way the Underground worked sometimes. There was no solution except to go with the flow.

The door opened just as easily as it had the last time Frisk opened it. In fact, it was almost a little too easy to get it open, as if some unseen force was pushing against it to get free. A wind blew past the child, whipping their short hair, and they took a step inside.

As soon as they did, it felt like their soul was being dragged down. It was the same feeling they'd got when Papyrus turned their soul blue, making them struggle to dodge his attacks. Except… this time, it was so much worse. It was hard to move at all, and were it not for Frisk's determination, they might have just crumpled into a heap right there. This was exactly how they'd felt when they entered the room before; heavy and tired and like it took all their strength to move. When they tried to call out, their voice failed them.

With a groan, they pressed forward. It should only take another couple of steps to see the man they'd seen before.

They seemed to give it a little too much oomph with their next step, because they tumbled forward and landed on the ground with a dull _THUD_ that suggested, while disorienting, the impact hadn't hurt all that much. A hand rubbed at their head as they tilted their head up. The man… the man! There he was!

He was looking at them with one wide eye, the other one seeming to be permanently shut. Even with his shocked look, his right eye didn't open at all. While his mouth was hanging open a bit, it read just as stupefied as Frisk felt.

Frisk quickly pulled themselves off the ground, dusting at their shirt before staring up at the man. He was awfully tall… his face was completely white with the exception of his pupil and closed eye being black. The rest of him was black, too, and it looked like he was made of something that wasn't… all together. It would resemble a cloak, if it didn't look like it was melted.

It reminded them of the Amalgamates he'd found in Alphys' real lab, and their heart was struck with a chord of sympathy. Was he in pain like they'd been…?

'Hello!' they greeted happily, their hands moving quickly to sign out the next thing. 'It's nice to see you again.'

All at once, the man looked taken aback – not in the same way as he did the last time they'd seen him. He didn't disappear this time! Instead, his form lurched forward, the gooey substance making up his cloak crawling toward Frisk. For whatever reason, it didn't really scare them. The man seemed surprised and curious, but not malicious. After a moment of staring at the child, he lifted up his hands, signing back as well as speaking some distorted language that Frisk couldn't understand. '… You can speak in hands?' As he moved his phalanges (oh, was he a skeleton…?), it became clear to Frisk that there were holes in the middle of his palms.

The child nodded tentatively. Was he asking if they could speak sign language? Calling it _speaking in hands_ was a way that Frisk had never heard it put before, although that had a nice ring to it. 'Yep! This is how I usually talk.' They raised and waved their hand around for a few seconds, trying to let him know that they weren't done talking but had to think about what to say next. 'If you don't mind my asking, who are you? What's your name?'

'Ah.' The man repeated their gesture, adding in his fingertips tapping against his mouth. 'My name is WingDing Gaster. Most people simply called me Gaster. What is your name, young one?'

'I'm Frisk!' The sign they'd made for themselves was a good one, they thought; a palm flat against their chest, then the same arm held out in an offer of friendship. It certainly fit them, if nothing else. Of course, they spelled it out before giving the sign for it, as Gaster had done. 'Are you okay in here? The last time I saw you, I think I scared you… sorry if I did!'

Gaster's face shifted from surprise to a smile, although it was muted. It was almost like he was afraid to give the child a real smile. 'No, no. Don't worry. You did nothing of the sort! It's just…' His fingers tapped against his mouth again, his head lolling from side to side for a moment. He seemed rather unsure how to explain whatever he was trying to explain. 'Do you know where we are?'

'Um…!' Frisk tapped one finger against their cheek in thought. What was this place, anyway? All they really knew was that it was somewhere that clearly wasn't a part of the rest of the Underground. 'No, actually. Do you know, Mr. Gaster?'

'Indeed I do. Child, we are in the void.' A second pair of hands, looking identical to Gaster's hands except made of blue magic, shimmered into existence. His original hands gestured to the space around them as the second pair continued to sign for him. 'It is a place where I exist, yet I do not exist. The rules are not the same here as they are in reality.'

Frisk tilted their head to one side, blinking a few times. Wait… what? That didn't make any sense. Not to them, at least. How could Gaster exist but not exist at the same time? '… That makes my head hurt.'

A ghostly chuckle reverberated through the room. It was clearly from Gaster, as his shoulders shook with laughter, and it wrapped around Frisk like a warm blanket. Whatever else could be said about this man, the sound of his laugh was comforting! 'I should think so. You're too young to understand advanced physics… and even most adults have trouble with the concept. Either way, you are not affected because…' His signing paused again, the fingertips of his magic hands pushing against each other. 'Because you were not actually erased from your timeline. You are a guest. I, a prisoner.'

'That's… terrible.' They meant it, too. What had Gaster done that was so bad he was completely removed from his timeline? As far as saves, loads, resets, and determination were concerned, it was easy to understand that. But Frisk had never heard of someone being erased from a timeline. How did that work? Was that the reason nobody seemed to mention him? 'I'm sorry.'

The smile Gaster gave them was much like the previous one he gave, only much sadder. 'Don't be, Frisk. I brought this on myself.' With that, he knelt down, the mass of his makeshift cloak surrounding the floor around Frisk. 'Might I ask, however, how you got here?'

Frisk pointed back toward where the door was. It was actually still wide open, since they hadn't closed it behind them. (Bad manners, but it had been an accident.) 'I came through the door!'

'The… door?' Gaster's face shifted, his eye flickering from Frisk back toward the door, then to Frisk again. It was almost like he hadn't actually seen anything. 'Child… there is nothing there.'


	2. Hidden Depths

**Hey, all! This chapter's actually been done for a while, and posted on AO3, but I got lazy with uploading it here. XD**

 **Hopefully it's been worth the wait, though! And thank you guys for the reviews, they really motivate me. 3 They made me feel great, and I promise I'm gonna take the critiques into consideration. Thanks to everyone so far for taking the time to review, and to those who do so in the future! Quick references just in case:**

 **"blah blah blah" = spoken words**

 **'blah blah blah' = sign language with no speech**

 **'blah blah** **blah' = Gaster speaking _and_ signing**

 **Without further ado, chapter 2!**

* * *

Needless to say, the fact that Gaster wasn't able to see the door initially alarmed Frisk. There wasn't something wrong with his eyes, was there? But they could see him! That didn't make sense. Their gaze flitted from him to the door, back and forth a few times. How could this be possible? Frisk could see the door, plain as day. Sure, it didn't have much color… that shouldn't be able to entirely stop someone from seeing it, though.

'What do you mean?' Their signing grew increasingly frantic, before they ran back toward the door. 'It's right here, Mr. Gaster!' To prove their point, they grabbed the doorknob, opening and closing it a few times. (Thank goodness closing it didn't trap them in here. That would have been a rude awakening if they'd ever known one.) 'See?'

The monster's head shook slowly. It seemed like even though his eye sockets were squinting, very clearly _trying_ to see the door, he simply couldn't.  'I… am sorry, Frisk. I don't see anything. Are you…' His signing trailed off for a moment, a gamut of theories looking to run through his mind. 'You're not trying to play a trick on me, are you? Oh, that reminds me of…'

Frisk shook their head hard enough that they almost made themselves dizzy again. 'No, no, of course not! I would never! Can't you hear the door? You can't see it at all?' It still didn't make any sense to them. This was how they got here. And Gaster simply couldn't see or hear it? 'Can you… come over here? Maybe if I guide you to it, then you'll be able to get out!'

It was obvious that Gaster didn't really believe them. Even so, he let out a soft sigh and dragged himself over anyway. It looked as though it was hard for him to move quickly, what with all that… slime? Gunk? Goop? … All that _stuff_ his cloak seemed to be made of. It made Frisk wonder if the way they'd felt when they first walked in here was the way he felt all the time. Once there, one hand was held out toward the child as the magic hands continued to translate his speech.  'Alright. Where is this door?'

They grabbed his hand – a bit too eagerly, if that wince he gave was any indication – and carefully pulled him over to the door. They laid his hand flush against it, firmly pressing their little hands over his to keep it in place. He _had_ to acknowledge its existence now! Nobody could deny something when they were actually touching it. "Thaaaa dohhhhr!" At least their voice decided to work since their hands were occupied.

'Uh…!' His hands weren't even making any real signs right now. The ghostly fingers kept going a mile a minute, making filler gestures, waving erratically and twisting around themselves as the monster thought. '… I feel it… why can't I see it?'

Frisk let go of Gaster's hand in order to sign. 'Maybe this means you can leave!' That excited the child more than anything had in days. Since Gaster had been erased from the timeline, it seemed like he was essentially trapped here. It was only one room, with no other company aside from anyone who popped in for a visit. When that happened, if the other time they met him was anything to go by, he seemed too startled to even greet them. It sounded to them like talking to them was the first time he'd ever actually explained his predicament to anyone. "C'mon, 'mmmooooon!" They were so filled with delight at the prospect of helping Gaster leave that they forewent sign language in favor of speaking. That was rare, and seconds after they were grabbing his hand with their other opening the door.

Something tumbled out of Gaster's mouth, more of that strange language that Frisk didn't understand without having it translated into sign language. It sounded almost like static-filled computer noises, if they were being honest. It was probably an expression of surprise, given that he did his best to follow the child. 'I'm coming, I'm coming! Don't worry, child. I'm right behind you.'

Frisk gave an apologetic grin before they swung the door open. They hopped out, waving their arms toward the outside of Waterfall in an unmistakable invitation for him to come join them. 'All you have to do is step forward!'

'Oh… my. Waterfall. It's Waterfall…' A look of awe came over Gaster's face. It was understandable if Frisk considered that for however long he'd been caged in the void, all he'd seen was darkness. He used to be a part of the Underground. He used to _live_ out here. How long had it been since he'd even seen any of this? Regardless of the fact that there weren't any other monsters around, there was still water trickling and rushing down. The structures that kept the waterfalls flowing were untouched, allowing the water to keep flowing gently.  'I… I haven't seen Waterfall in years…'

By this time, Frisk was almost bouncing in their exhilaration. What was he waiting for?! If he hadn't been out in so long, this was going to be so amazing for him. It made them proud that they were helping someone that nobody else even seemed to remember; all they wanted to do was help people. Gaster was a soul who needed help if Frisk had ever seen one. 'Come on, Mr. Gaster!' they signed, playfully casting their gaze toward the ceiling. 'The water's fine!'

That was all the prompting Gaster needed, although neither of them could have predicted what came next. Gaster's form shuffled forward, the swirling mass that made up his cloak bubbling along behind him. For a fraction of a second, his expression had settled on hope. It was definitely something he hadn't seemed to have felt in a long time. Just as he reached the line where void met reality, Gaster seemed to have ran head-on into a wall. His face slammed against something, and his entire body was pitched backward. The shadowy mass that comprised the rest of him was barely able to break his fall. Of course, that didn't mean it was painless… it looked anything but, to be honest. More of his strange language tumbled from his mouth, a damaged hand covering the right side of his face.

" _Ah–!_ " Frisk immediately ran back inside, first reaching toward Gaster, then signing in a tizzy. 'Oh, my gosh! Are you okay?!' What on Earth had just happened? It was almost like he'd just… smacked into something that wasn't there. If Frisk could see the door and go through it, then why…? Their stomach did flip-flops, and it made them feel sick to think that Gaster could be hurt because he'd been following their directions. 'Mr. Gaster? You're not hurt, are you?'

'Oh, no, no, child! I'm fine!' The hands that had been signing for him momentarily vanished, but they were back and quickly reassuring the young human. 'I… did you not say there was a door here?'

'I did!' Tears of confusion formed in Frisk's eyes as they looked from Gaster to the door. What in the world? The door was wide open! Why couldn't he come through it? 'It's there, I swear it is! I… I don't understand…'

Gaster's arms, a little cold and not exactly solid, wrapped around Frisk as fast as they could. 'No, Frisk, don't cry! I admit it startled me… but you were clearly outside in the Underground. In the real world. I know you weren't lying to me. Don't worry.'

The child sniffled and wiped at their eyes before throwing another glance outside. Why could they leave and Gaster couldn't? 'I don't get it… I led you right to the door! Why couldn't you come out?'

'Mm. Perhaps the answer is simple enough.' He gave them a small pat on the head, then drew away and focused his gaze on the stars that glittered in Waterfall's walls. There was a sorrow and far-away-ness in his eyes that Frisk had never really seen before – it was enough to almost break the child's heart. Poor Gaster just looked so _sad._ It was obvious that he desperately missed being a part of reality, that he wanted to get back more than anything. How long had he been here…? This had to be torture for him. It would be for anyone! Knowing that you didn't exist… seeing the world pass by and not remember you and be _fine…_ it was awful to just think about, let alone endure.  'Child, perhaps I cannot be saved. Hm? The world is no different without me. I've made no impact in anyone's lives, nor left a mark on the world itself. This is my punishment for all the foolish risks that I took. It might come down to what I said before… that you are a guest, so you can leave as you please… whereas I am a prisoner, and this place is my cell.'

For once, Frisk didn't really know what to say. They were struck speechless; surely that couldn't be how it really was, could it? Everyone deserved to exist. There had to be some way to save Gaster. Nobody else knew he was here, so Frisk was his only shot at becoming part of the world again. He just seemed so resigned to his fate that it made the child's heart ache. This wasn't _fair!_ Even if Gaster wasn't the picture of purity, even if he'd taken risks in his work or in anything else, even if… nobody deserved this. Besides, he'd spent so long here. Not once had he tried to harm Frisk, and they were on his turf. If he'd had any interest in hurting anyone now, regardless of what he may have done in the past, then Frisk probably would have already been hurt by this point.

After a moment, they reached over and lightly slipped their little fingers between Gaster's, being mindful of the holes in his metacarpal. Anything they could say would just be ineffective at expressing how terribly they felt for him. Even so, their mind was racing, trying to think of any possible solution to this. They had _determination!_ They should be able to do the impossible. Maybe they just had to put their mind to it.

'Frisk?' Gaster's voice brought them back from their thoughts. Once they looked expectantly up at him with a tilt of their head, he gave them a muted smile. Even though it was clear he wasn't happy, it didn't seem like he was too broken up. He'd probably thought nothing would really come of it, wishful as he was upon seeing Waterfall. 'Don't worry about it. Please. This is not your problem to fix, and… I don't think it can be fixed. Instead of dwelling on it, why don't you simply stay with me for a bit? You can tell me all about what the Underground is like now.' His magic fingers shifted slightly, waving through the air. 'That is, of course, unless you have somewhere else to be or something else to do! A child's life is often just as busy as an adult's,' he quipped, and his smile looked a little more real then.

Almost immediately, their answer was a flurry of speedy nodding. Right, right! They might not be able to do anything for him right this second, but they'd think on it and maybe they could come up with something that would work. For now, the best option was to stay for a while and tell Gaster about what the rest of the Underground was like now. This way they could talk to him about all their adventures and friends while also being his eyes and ears, so to speak. 'Okay! Is there – um – anywhere to sit in here? Or is it okay if I sit on the floor…?'

'Oh, no, that won't do! Allow me to provide some accommodations.' A few seconds of Gaster waving his hands yielded a small black couch near one wall. It looked to be made of the same matter as his cloak, except more solid. 'It may not be the most comfortable, but at least you won't tire your legs out, nor will you have to sit on the floor.'

'Ah! Thank you!' A wide smile broke Frisk's face, a stark contrast to the agitated tears they'd been displaying only moments before. They were on the sofa in a flash, happily sinking into the mushy, warm cushions. It was actually a fair bit cozier than it appeared. Gaster certainly had nothing to apologize for as far as the couch was concerned. 'It's wonderful! Void couch for the win!'

A soft chuckle escaped from the monster's throat as he took a seat next to Frisk. 'Why, thank you. I'd offer you something to eat or drink, but… void food and beverages tend to be… acquired tastes. Besides, have you ever heard the myths including a rule that consuming food from another world leads you to be stuck there for some time? Unfortunately, that's based in truth!' He shook his head, a glass of… something… appearing in his own hand regardless. 'We don't want you getting trapped here as well. I hope it won't bother you, though?'

They shook their head, simply staring at whatever Gaster was drinking. What was it? Some void drink, obviously. Probably better not to think about it too much. 'Nah! I have my own snacks!' With that, they pulled out a pack of cinnamon bunnies and a juice box out of their bag, quickly extending one of the treats toward Gaster. "Mm?"

'Ah! Thank you for the offer, however… food from reality would probably, ahem – go right through me, so to speak,' he chuckled. Taking a sip from his own glass, he looked down toward Frisk. 'So, tell me all about your adventure, young one. Did you fall down Mt. Ebott's hole?'

The entire cinnamon bunny they'd offered him was shoved into their mouth so that their hands were free to sign. (Unsurprisingly, while it was _possible_ to sign one-handed with certain concepts, it was a pain in the neck.) 'Yeah! It was an accident, though. I wandered away from Mama and went exploring… then fell in.' When they smiled at him, their teeth were coated in sticky glaze from their snack. 'I'm really glad I did, though! If I didn't, I wouldn't have met so many friends, and the barrier wouldn't have gotten broken.'

That seemed to get Gaster's undivided attention. 'The… the barrier is broken? You mean… everyone lives on the surface now?'

'… Almost everyone.' A pout formed on the child's sugar-stained face as they wiped at their mouth, remembering their friend. 'Asriel is still down here. Well… I suppose I should say Flowey.'

Gaster raised an eyebrow. It looked to Frisk as if he were wondering whether he really wanted to know or not. '… Flowey?'

Frisk blew out a breath, reaching for their juice box. 'It's a long story. I can fill you in later, but the short version is that we used all the monster's souls, a few humans' souls, and my soul to break the barrier. Now all my friends live on the surface, and Mom lives with Mama!'

'You have two mothers?' Although he seemed surprised, it was clear that he was simply curious.

'Well, kind of.' A long sip was taken from their juice before they continued. 'Mom is Toriel, who's staying with me and Mama, who's the mom I've had all my life. Sometimes they get jealous of each other when it comes to me, but other than that they're best friends!'

'Ah, I see. So! The Queen is… the _ex_ -Queen is your adoptive mother, and the other… what is her name?'

'Mama? Her name's H-O-P-E – Hope!'

A nod was given as Gaster swirled the liquid in his glass, a pensive look settling over his features. It appeared that he was thinking awfully hard about something… or that he was simply lost in his own thoughts. 'Toriel is your adoptive mother, and Hope is your biological mother. Goodness, but aren't you lucky?' The would-be bones that might serve as eyebrows knitted together, his eye sockets falling half closed while he seemed to study his drink. After a few seconds, a sigh left him and his free hand reached over to give the child an affectionate rub on the head. 'You're very fortunate to have two mothers who love you, Frisk! I'm sure you have many more friends who love you, as well.'

The grin that split Frisk's face was priceless. It made them so happy that even within a short time of meeting them, Gaster could tell that they had a lot of people who cared about them. For what it was worth, they were sure that he had people who loved him, too. Now that they thought about it… Gaster's loved ones must miss him terribly. He must miss them. 'Yeah… I've got _lots_ of friends!' They forced themselves to keep their mind on the topic of what their adventure had been like. It might not be wise to ask about Gaster's loved ones right now, especially since he might have been thinking about them a moment ago. 'Wanna hear about them?'

Whatever sorrow had previously possessed the skeleton was all but gone now. His smile returned, and he leaned back against the couch in order to get himself into a more comfortable position. 'Of course, little one! I would like nothing more. What was your adventure like? Who did you meet?' Another sip from his glass. 'Start from the beginning, now, and don't leave anything out!'

'It started when I met Mom – Toriel!' Their juice box was still sitting between their legs, nearly forgotten as they looked back on their time in the Underground. 'She led me through the Ruins, and let me stay with her. I met a ghost named Napstablook, and made friends with them. They're nice, just kind of shy and sad and they need reassuring. They're getting a lot better, though! The Ruins and all were nice, but… I kind of did want to go home, you know? As much as I love Mom, I love Mama, too. I knew she was probably worried about me.' It actually felt sort of fun to regale someone else with their little tale. Frisk had never really thought about it before, but they were a pretty interesting person! 'So I asked Mom about the way out.'

'Ooh, I bet she wasn't happy about that.' Even though he'd been gone for years, it sounded like Gaster could read Toriel like a book. 'Let me guess, she tried to keep you there? She always was a little… overprotective of children ever since what happened to Asriel and Chara.'

The child nodded fervently, eager to get on with their story. There were a lot of people they'd made friends with! 'Yeah. She even tried to blow up the exit so I wouldn't leave! She was so sad… but I knew I had to leave. She made me fight her to prove I could survive. I chose to show her mercy every time… and… well… when it was over, she seemed… disappointed… but proud.'

Suggesting nostalgia was the next smile that settled on Gaster's face. 'Oh, I understand. Trust me – Asgore is no slouch at that look either.'

'Yeah! She let me leave… and made me promise not to come back.' The memory tugged at their heart a bit. Even though Frisk had wanted to get back to their mother, it wasn't easy to leave Toriel like that. 'And then! Oh, wow, when I stepped out, I was in _Snowdin!_ I've never seen so much snow in my life.'

A low chuckle broke free from Gaster's throat. 'Ah, yes! Mind you, I never visited Snowdin much. When I did, though… oh, I remember how absolutely breathtaking it was. Snow is a beautiful phenomenon.'

By this point, Frisk felt like they were never going to stop smiling. They'd made a new friend, _and_ for the first time, they were talking in detail about the journey they'd taken through the Underground. 'After I started walking, I met this skeleton named Sans! And then a few minutes later, his brother Papyrus showed up… oh, boy, they're a pair!' They paused to giggle, recalling their first encounter with the two brothers. Sans and Papyrus couldn't be more opposite, and yet it was clear that they were closer than most siblings. 'Sans tells the most _hilarious_ jokes! And Papyrus' puzzles are so much fun!'

'I…' If there had been any color in Gaster's face, it would have all drained away in an instant. Some violet pinprick of light shone inside his good eye socket. His hands trembled, the glass of liquid dropping from his fingers. It melted into the floor, swallowed up by the void, and yet still a shattering sound echoed throughout the room. More of his strange language tumbled from his lips, and one of his hands flew up to press against his forehead. 'Child… you said… Sans and Papyrus? Those are their names?'

Frisk was startled by both the noise of glass breaking as well as the almost shocked state Gaster seemed to be in. Had they done or said something wrong? This had been such a good time! What was going on…? 'Mr. Gaster!' Abandoning their near-empty juice box by the arm of the sofa, they scrambled to lean against his… leg? Little hands patted quickly in an attempt to snap him out of it before they resorted back to signing at him. 'Mr. Gaster, are you okay?!'

Their actions seemed to bring the skeleton out of his memories. His good eye blinked a few times, and his phalanges rubbed tiredly at his forehead. 'Oh… oh, I'm so sorry, Frisk.' An apologetic smile was given down at the human, though it was easy to tell that it wasn't completely, genuinely happy. 'I just… those names. Would you tell me more about these two? Sans and Papyrus…?'

'Oh… uh…' Frisk was still a little shaken from Gaster's reaction to the names, but they decided it might be best to press on anyway. 'Well, Papyrus is pretty tall and thin, and Sans is kind of short and fat. They're both great friends… I'm really lucky to have them! Um, let's see… Papyrus has this really soft red scarf, and Sans has an awesome blue hoodie.'

'I see, I see.' The smile reached his eye socket, and now he looked almost… hopeful. There was a sound as if he were clearing his throat before he said anything else; when he did, the questions began to turn oddly specific. 'Does Sans still keep his room a mess? Does Papyrus still pretend to hate Sans' puns?'

 _Still? Still._ That threw Frisk off a little bit. Did Gaster know Sans and Papyrus? How? He'd been stuck in the void all this time! Deciding to hold back on their own questions for now, they happily set to answering the skeleton's. 'There's a tornado of trash in Sans' room! It moves by itself, and it's pretty cool.' A giggle slipped out of their mouth as they remembered the first time they'd seen it. It was a mess and a half, but at least it was interesting. "And he does! Even though he groans at them a lot, he always smiles when Sans makes one.'

That smile of Gaster's only seemed to get wider. His hands moved excitedly as he began to sign more, another few questions. 'Tell me Sans doesn't sleep until noon anymore? And that Papyrus gets more than three hours? The both of them are eating alright, aren't they? I bet Papyrus makes a home-cooked meal every single night… and Sans only pretends to eat it while he gets junk food later! Am I right?'

'Y… Yeah, wow! You're right!' More surprise was probably evident on the child's face now. How did he know all of that about the brothers? Did he know them before he'd gotten trapped in here? 'I think Sans usually gets up by ten. He naps a lot… Papyrus doesn't let him do it too much, though. And I think Papyrus gets up early in the morning… but he goes to bed early, too! And, you know… I can't really blame Sans for just pretending to eat.' Frisk's hand cupped to one side of their mouth, making believe that they were whispering before they continued to sign. 'I've eaten Papyrus' spaghetti, and… well, he needs a lot more practice.' They laughed again, shaking their head. It wasn't for lack of trying, and to his credit, Papyrus' cooking was improving as of late. 'It's the thought that counts, though! I can tell Sans appreciates the effort anyway.'

'Ah. What good boys.' By this point, the smile on Gaster's face had devolved into the kind of smile someone made when they were trying desperately not to cry. His mouth crinkled at the edges, the darkness where his teeth may have been trembling. His eye sockets kept blinking rapidly, and after a moment he simply clapped a hand over his mouth. Muffled sobs shook his shoulders as he spoke and signed through his tears. 'They're such good boys…!'

Frisk's tiny fingers were on Gaster's arm in an instant. What was wrong…? It seemed like Gaster knew Sans and Papyrus, but how? He'd known them before he got trapped in here? And why was he crying now, even when he was so happy to hear about the brothers? One finger gently poked against the skeleton's arm, trying to get his attention on them. Although they didn't want to distress Gaster any further, they also wanted answers as to what all this was about. 'Mr. Gaster?'

The look that Gaster gave the child seemed to go right through them. Clearly, there was something else on his mind, and it wasn't a stretch to think it somehow involved Sans, Papyrus, and the past. 'I'm sorry, little one. It's just… I'm… I'm happy they're doing well. I'm so proud of them. And I miss them, so much…'

'You don't have to answer if you don't want to… but…' Frisk began, hesitant to continue signing. Their theory about Gaster having known Sans and Papyrus was proven right. Now it begged the follow-up question of _how_ he knew the brothers. 'How do you know Sans and Papyrus?'

It took a moment for Gaster to collect himself enough to speak. And in fact, this time, he didn't actually speak; he was so overwhelmed that simply signed back with his pair of magical hands:

'Sans and Papyrus… are my sons.'


End file.
